Special guest at the event will be Jean-François Genay, the North American representative of the Mission Laïque Française, with oversight responsibility for 24 schools in the U.S. and Canada.

Previously, Genay was the headmaster of the French American International School and the Executive Director of the Lycée International de Los Angeles.

No reservations are necessary to attend the event – just pop by to chat with staff, visit with teachers, register for classes and learn more about events and the benefits of membership. Complimentary refreshments will be served and a raffle for prizes will be held.

The Open House is also the last day for the Early Bird Discount of 10% off class fees for the Summer Term that runs June 24 – August 31, 2013.

Questions? Call 503.223.8388.

Pope is the author of three historical novels set in late-19th-century France. Long an admirer of a variety of European mystery writers like Simenon, LeCarre, Pears and Mankell, she strives to meld her love and knowledge of the past with the page-turning styles of these masters.

Her first novel, Cezanne’s Quarry, was nominated for an Oregon Book Award; her second, The Blood of Lorraine, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Her third, The Missing Italian Girl, won recognition on Oprah.com as one of the “Best Mystery Books: 7 Compulsively Readable Mysteries (for the Crazy-Smart Reader).”

Click here for the Oprah listing and the book’s storyline.

Pope has a PhD in the Social and Intellectual History of Europe from Columbia University and was the founding director of women’s studies at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

The book reading on Friday, June 7, 6 p.m. is free for Alliance members and $5 for non-members. Click here to register.

Caughman, who has an impressive resume, will speak (in English) on the topic of “Style and Taste in Early 20th Century France,” exploring the changing nature of women’s role in art and society in France in that period. Click here for lecture details.

Cost is $65 and includes the dinner, lecture, and coffee or tea (other drinks can be purchased separately).

Click here for ASID’s event page and online registration links. NOTE: If you are not an ASID member, just put a “?” in the member ID fields (as a placeholder of sorts) in their online registration form, and your reservation will go through ok.
Merci to Alliance member Nicole Rivlin for referring this event.

The festival celebrates music of all genres as well as musicians at all levels of ability.

Portland’s fête will be Friday, June 21, at Castaway and Versailles Gardens in Northwest Portland.

The family-friendly festival is free to the public; a $2 donation per person will be suggested. 

A tempting menu will be offered by C’est Si Bon (a popular Farmer’s Market caterer) and a wine and beer concession will be operated by the Alliance.

Look for a schedule of bands shortly. If you’d like to perform (amateurs welcome!) please email pascalinel@afportland.org.

The Alliance Française is organizing some tables at this event where guests will have the option to be seated with tablemates who speak French (only), English (only) or mixed English-French.

To reserve seats through the Alliance, click here (you do NOT need to be an Alliance member or a MAC member). The cost for the four-course dinner of Normandy-inspired cuisine (click here for the menu) is $66 and includes the gratuity. (Guests will pay separately for drinks of their choice.) Note: If you are an actual MAC member, please book your event tickets through the MAC because you’ll get a reduced rate which applies only to MAC members.

David Downie has called Paris and the Marais home since 1986. He has written for over 50 publications worldwide including Bon Appétit, The Los Angeles Times, Town & Country Travel, The San Francisco Chronicle, epicurious.com, and Salon.com.

He is the author of the critically acclaimed Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light, three Terroir guides, as well as several cookbooks and crime novels.

He lives with his wife, Alison Harris, a photographer, and creates custom tours via his “Paris, Paris Tours” blog site.

His latest book is part adventure story, part cultural history as the author explores the phenomenon of pilgrimage along the age-old Way of Saint James in France. Click here for more info. This author event is free.

The program features native-fluent, experienced Alliance Française teachers.

Emphasis is on the spoken language and developing fluidity of expression through targeted exercises that focus on specific challenges for Anglophones.

Note that the program is for adults in the range of B1/B2.

Update: this program is currently full for applicants who would wish to have the full program that includes lodging on-site. Additional applicants may be accepted if they have alternate arrangements for lodging in the area. Email lindaw@afportland.org with questions.

The nonprofit organizing committee, which includes supporters of Alliance Française and event partner, the French-American Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest, chose the lively theme of fin-de-siècle Paris including can-can dancers, mad passion and the works of Post-Impressionist painters such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Delta Air Lines is the event’s official Raffle Sponsor. Keep reading for menu and auction info; call 503.223.8388 to order tickets over the phone, or click HERE for secure online payments.

A Gourmet Dining Experience Designed by Chef Boulot
The evening will feature a gourmet dining experience by celebrated Executive Chef Philippe Boulot, a James Beard award winner who was also recently named an Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite Agricole. Boulot has formulated this delectable feast for the event attendees:

Premium Packages in Live and Silent Auctions
While the cabaret description may sound a trifle decadent, the event is also a fundraiser designed to ensure the continuation of world-class educational and cultural services in the Portland region. The Alliance Française de Portland is a non-profit agency that relies on the generosity of its members and has provided a meeting ground for Francophiles, French and students of French since 1933. In addition to the live auction that features unique experiences and premium rental properties in Paris, Provence and elsewhere, a silent auction of unique art and gift certificates of all kinds (including top restaurants) will help raise the funds that support the Alliance’s cultural events such as Bastille Day, as well as nonprofit education and business development missions of the FACC.

Tickets On Sale Now

Ticket prices (Reserve early; Alliance events sell out quickly):
Standard Attendee Ticket: $75
Patron Attendee Ticket: $115 (preferred seating)
Many thanks to generous underwriting which allows us to maintain the low earlybird pricing for all.

For premium group seating, Sponsor Tables for 8 persons are $1250 and include preferred seating, premium wine service, champagne, a full-page ad in the program and recognition in the rolling slideshow.

Keep reading for menu and auction info; call 503.223.8388 to order tickets over the phone, or click HERE for secure online payments.

Doors open at 5:30 for the Silent Auction, and dinner will be served at 7:00. All tables seat 8 persons though some larger tables are also available. Event organizers will contact registrants by email to know seating preferences (for those wishing to sit with colleagues or friends); the event managers will seat individuals or smaller groups together to fill tables for lively conversation. The Silent Auction will close prior to dinner, so take your seats for the feast to come and the spirited live auction – you may find yourself giving in to temptations never imagined!

The tickets, representing a retail prize value of $2,280, are valid on Delta designated flights operated by Delta, Air France, and KLM between Portland and Paris beginning April 20, 2013 through April 19, 2014. Both tickets must be used on the same flight and same travel dates.

Raffle tickets are $10 each or five for $40 and are open to the public to purchase, from now through April 20, by calling the Alliance office at 503.223.8388.

A maximum of 999 will be sold; all proceeds benefit the nonprofit missions of the Alliance and the FACC PNW.